Selecting mechanism



July 7,1925. I 1,545,276 H. PFANNENSTIEHL' V 4 SELECTING MECHANISM 2Shets-Shet 1 neural) s-T TEs ELECTRIC" COMPANY, INCORPQRATED, NEW YORK.

' SELECTING Application filed November To all whom it may concern: Be itknown that I, HARRY PFANNEN s'rnz-nn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Maplewood, in the countyof Essex, .State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Selecting Mechanisms, ofwhich the following is afull, clear,'concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to selecting mechanism and particularly to"selecting mechanism of the manually controlled type,

An object of the invention is a selecting mechanism and a distributingmechanism utilizing a single movable transmitting contact combined in aunitary structure.-

Another object is anarrangement wherein the code combinations of messageimpulses are transmitted to a ,lineconductor solely cient. in operation.

broken line 22 of Fig. 1.

through the instrumentality of mechanical movements.

Another objectof the invention is to pro vide a selecting mechanismwhich is simple in construction, positive reliable and efii- Inaccordance with the aboveobjects the present invention contemplates theprovision of manually operated keys, which cooperate with slidablemembers or bars adapted to be moved from their normal 'positions ofrestwhereby rockerarms are positioned selectively, and which arearrangedto be actuated consecutively by cams to vibrate a single transmittingcontact.

Referring to the drawings:

. Fig. 1 shows a partial plan view of a keyboard with the selectingelements and the distributing mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the Fig. 3 shows the mechanism,illustrated in F1 g. 2, in a different operative position. Figs. 4 and 5are sectional views taken along the broken line 44 of Fig.-- 1- and showthe selecting and selectable elements.

in their non-selecting and selecting-positions,

' respectively.

- Fig. 6 is a perspective of a portionfof the apparatus shown in Fig.1.I v

- In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the keyboard isarranged like the keyboard of an ordinary typewriter, each key beingcapable of'independently performing the selecting operations required toposition selectable elements to'produce the do sired selectingoperations. Each key lever PATENTpOFlf-NE- nanny PFAZNNENSTIEHL, orMAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, l ls sxoagmn. 'ro wns'rnan or EW. YORK, N. Y., nconroaa'rrou or 1 with springs 9 normally tending to "elevate the outer1 end thereof. The;-springs and" pivots, although not. shown in ,detail,are

similar 'iri ponstruction to the arrangement disclosed :in' Patent No.1,229,201, issued June 5,1917. Each key lever has towards therearthereof-a knife-like portion 6 serving to move upon the actuationthereof the,

selectingelenients. in varying combinations;

- Situated-directly above and extending/in a direction transverse to thekey levers .7 2'

are six slidable selecting members 11-, 12, 13, 14:, 15 and '16 a.stationary member 17.v The-frame 8 is provided with slotted members 18and 19 .whioh'serve to support and;

guide the members-11 to 16 inclusive. 'Each of the selecting members 11to 16 inclusive has thereon a different arrangement of downwardlyprojecting beveled edges 20, so that these-members w1ll be moved invarying combinations according tothe key lever l depressed. When anyoneof the key levers is depressed the knife edge 6 engages the beveledprojections 20 on the selectlng members so that these members will-bemoved in a direction transverse to the position of the key levers inaccordance with a predetermined arrangement. The selecting member 11,however moves upon'the depression of any one of the key levers 7 foreffecting certain selecting operations, and is provided at one extremitythereof with a stop 21 and a member 22 mounted just abovegthe sto arm 21one surface of which is slightly. Each of the selecting members 12 to 16inclusive have notches 23 cut on the upper surface and atone end thereofand in which an operating link normally rests, there being an operatinglink individual to each one of these bars. The operating links 28 to 33inclusive are pivoted to a revolvable bail 34supported by arms 35 and36,. which are in turn, fixed on a rod 37.

Situated directly beneath the other end of the operating links '28 to 33are a series of cams 4:4 spaced equally distant along a shaft 39 andseparated by metal discs 25, so that upon rotation .of the shaft theoperating links will beengaged by their associated cam for effectingtheir movement consecutively. The cams and metal discs are held inposigti'on by,-.means of bushin' s 38 and 46 which incline mally, theshaft 39,having secured on one extremity thereof -a beveled gear 40,tends to rotate by power communicated thereto from a motor 41 driving abeveled gear 42, through a slip friction clutch but is restrainedagainst motion by thestop arm 43 rigidly secured to the shaft 39engaging the stop 21, which, as previously described, is secured to theselecting member 11.

Mounted directly above bail 34 and in a position central thereto andarranged to be engaged by a circular, disc 27 is a single transmitting.contact 45. This contact 45,

when the shaft 39 is at rest, engages a conconnected directly to batteryor ground, as

the case may be,'or through the winding of a selecting magnet of aprinter, while the contact'47 is permanently connected to the lineconductor 61 extending to a distant station, and over which it isdesired to transmitthe desired code combinations of 'message impulses inaccordance with the depres'sion of the desired key lever 7. Moreover thedouble polarity system may be used with equally good results, in whichthe contact spring is normally in contact with marking battery whilespacing battery is connected with theopposite contact, in that thecontact may be moved to change the polarity tothe current applied to theline conductor. 1

portion thereof being formed in the shape of a knife-edge to morereadily permit of the movement of a downwardly and;horizo'ntally'projecting portion 56 of a locking bar 52. Bar 52 ispivoted to the frame at 53 and has an extending portion thereof which 1v is arranged to be engaged by a 'cam 55 on the shaft 39 as shown inFig. 2. During the period that the shaft 39 is at rest the projectingportion 56 of the member 52 is withdrawn from the slots 50 and 51,thereby scribed is as follows: Assume that one of the vkey levers 7 hasbeen. depressed, the common member 11 is moved in the direction of thearrow thereby moving the stop 21 out of the path of the stop arm 43, andsince'power is communicated to the shaft 39 through a-slip frictionclutch, this shaft will be revolved. Aspreviously stated, the contactspring 45 is normally in engagement with the contact 47.. However, theinstant the shaft 39 is set in rotation the 'cam associated withthe'operating link 33 moves out of the path thereof thereby allowing thebail 34 with the disc 27 to drop and consequently open the circuitbetween contact spring 45 and contact 47, thus transmitting what isknown as a start impulse. Also immediately following the setting of theshaft 39 into rotation, the member 52 is moved sothat the projection 56engages one orthe'other of the notches 50 and 51 in theselectingimembers 12 to16 inclusive,

depending upon the position of these memhers, thereby preventing theirmovement until the present selection has been cleared out. Let it alsofor the sake of clearness be assumed that the selecting members 12, I

members remain in the opposite position As the shaft 39 continues itsrotation, the

selecting member 12 having been moved in thedirection of the arrow,causes the end of the'operatin link 28 to rest upon the upper surface 0'the bar 12. Upon the engagement of the associated cam, with the link 28,this link will be fulcrumed on'bar 12, thereby raising the bail 34 andefi'ectin a. closure between the contact spring 45v and the contact 47.-A condition similar to the one described in connection with the selecting member 12 will, however, be established upon the engagemen t of thecams individual to the operating links 30 and 32, respectively, as theselecting members are moved so as to form a fulcrum for their respectiveoperating links.

For the selection of the operating link 29 one end of this link remainsin the notch of the selecting member 13 so that upon the engagement ofits associated cam therewith the contact spring 45will be allowed todisengage contact 47 so that an open.

circuit condition will be established with the line. described will takeplace upon the engage- A condition similar to that just mcnt of-the camindividual to the operating I link 31 associated'with the selectingmember 15. I

Following the engagement of the associated cam with the operating link32, the cam individual to the operating link 33 causes the bail 34 to belifted as the other end of this link is fulcrumed on the stationarymember 17 thereby closing the contact between contact spring 45 andcontact 47 for transmitting a releasing impulse over the line 61. Justprior to the completion of the cycle of the rotation of the shaft 39 thecam associated with the member 52 engages the projection thereof,thereby lifting the projecting portion 56 out of engagementwith thenotches 50 or 51, and, in

turn, permitting the setting up of a new scribed in connection with aparticular structure, it is, of course, obvious that many otheradaptations thereof may be made without departing ,from the spirit andscope of the present invention.

Whatis claimed is:

1. A telegraph transmitter comprising a series of selecting elements,manually actuated means operative to directly set said elements invarious combinations, a plurality of pivoted members extendinghorizontally beyond the ends of said selecting elements and arranged tobe fulcrumed on a surface thereof, a transmitting contact, and means forrotating said pivoted members about said selecting elements as a fulcrumto effect the actuation of said contact in accordance with the settingof said elements. 1

2. A telegraph transmitter comprising a series of selecting elements,each having a notch arranged near its end, means for. actuating saidselecting elements in various combinations, a plurality of members, oneindividual to each of said elements and having a free end arranged toengage a surface of saidelements beyond the notch therein, means foractuating the members which have their free ends engaging a surface ofsaid elements, and a switch contact operated in accordance with theactuation of said members.

3. A telegraph transmitter comprising a series of actuating members aplurality-of selecting elements, each having a notch arranged near itsend, means for selectively moving said elements to either bring saidnotch into or'out of registry with the free end of said actuatingmembers, a transmitting contact, and means cooperating with said membersfor actuating said contactinaccordance with the setting of saidelementswith respect to said members.

4. A telegrapli transmitter comprising a plurality of notched code bars,key levers for actuating said code bars in various combinations, asingle set of selecting elements conditioned foroperation due to themovement of said code bars, a transmitting contact, and mechanical meansoperating didectly on said selecting elements for actuating said contactin accordance with the setting of said code bars.

5. In combination, a series of selecting elements, a selectable elementindividual to each of said selecting elements, means for positioningsaid selecting elements in predetermined combinations, a singletransmitting contact, a distributor normally tending to rotate, andmeans operated directly and immediately upon the operation of any one ofsaid selecting elements for permitting the rotation ofsaid distributorwhereby said contact is actuatedin accordance with the setting of saidselecting elements.

' 6. In combination, a series of selecting elements, a selectable memberindividual to each of said selecting elements, means for positioningsaid selecting elements in predetermined combinations for conditioningsaid members for operation, a single transmitting contact, adistributing mechanism cooperating with said members for causing theoperation of said transmitting contact in accordance with the setting ofsaid selecting elements, and means operated directly and simultaneouslywith the operation of said selecting elements for permitting therotation of said distributing mechanism.

7 In combination, a series of selecting elements, a selectable memberindividual to each of said selecting elements, means for positioningsaid selecting elements in predetermined combinations to condition saidselectable members for operation, a single.

transmitting contact, a distributing mechanism comprising a series ofcams normally tending to rotate,'said cams enga 'ng the selected ones ofsaid selectable mem ers for causing the operation of said transmittingcontact in accordance with the setting of said selecting elements, amechanical stop for preventing the rotation of said cams,

and means operated simultaneously with the operation of said, selectingelements for moving said stop to release said cams for rotation. v 8. Atelegraph transmitter comprisin a series of key levers, a plurality ofselecting elements operated in various combinations inaccordance withthe depression of said key levers, a transmitting contact, meansindividual to each of said selecting elements for controlling theactuation of said contact, a mechanical distributor normally tendin torotate cooperating with said individua means for efiecting the operationof said contact, means common to saidkey levers and operated upon thedepression of any one thereof, and means .operated directly andsimultaneously with the operation of said common means for releasingsaid mechanical distributor.

9. A telegraph transmitter comprising a series of key levers, aplurality of selecting elements operated by' said-key levers, atransmitting contact, an all-mechanical distributing mechanism foractuating said con tact in accordance with the setting of said selectingelements, and means controlled by the depression of anyone of said keylevers for preventing the continued operation of said distributingmechanism should a key lever be depressed for a period longer than thenormal cycle of operation of said distributing mechanism.

10. In combination, a series of selecting elements, a selectable elementindividual to each of said selecting elements, means for positioningsaid selecting elements in predetermined combinations, a singletransmitting contact, a distributor, a'stop arm associated With saiddistributor for normally preventing the rotation thereof, and

anall-mechanical means operated simultaneously with said selectingelements for freeing immediately said stop arm for rotation wherebysaidcontact is actuated by said distributor in accordance with thesetting of said selecting elements.

11. A transmitter for start-stop printing telegraph systems having arotatable contact actuating member to "transmit a start impulse followedby a predetermined num-. her of selecting impulses comprising aplurality of key levers, a series of selecting bars selectable inaccordance with the operation of said key levers and operated directlyby said rotatable contact-actuating memberfor effecting the transmissionof the selecting 12. A transmitterlfor startsstop printing telegraphsystems comprising an intermittently rotating shaft, a plurality ofactuating members disposed about said shaft at different angularpositions, a plurality of key levers, a series of selecting bars movablein accordance with the operation of 'said key levers, impulsetransmitting means operated by said actuating members in accordance withthe setting ofsaid selecting bars, and means effective should a keylever be held operated for a. period longer than the time required totransmit apredetermined number of impulses for preventing the rotationof said shaft and said actuating members.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day ofNovember A. D, 1921.

r HARRY PFANNENSTlEHL.

